“I am looking for you.” Luca glanced at her coldly, then accelerated the car, as if venting his emotions.
In the backseat, Isla was frightened and tightly nestled in Vanessa’s arms.
“Mr. Kensington, there’s a child in the car. Please drive safely,” she said, furrowing her brows and holding Isla close, her tone carrying a hint of anger.
Only then did Luca glance back at Isla and gradually reduce his speed. “Let’s talk.”
Seeing how scared Isla was, Vanessa didn’t want to spend another second with him. “We have nothing to discuss.”
“Are you sure?” He teased her, adding, “Don’t you want to talk about Mariah or her?”
Vanessa tightened her hold on Isla and exclaimed, “Isla is my child; she has nothing to do with you!”
“Vanessa, you’re still the same as you were five years ago.”
“What do you mean?” Vanessa tensed, her heart racing. Did she inadvertently reveal that Isla was his c
Beatriz was taken aback and quickly pushed her away, retreating as she said, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand!” Vanessa gave a slight cold smile. “Since you don’t understand, I won’t bother explaining further,” she said, preparing to roll up the window and drive away. Halfway through, she suddenly remembered something and added, “By the way, I believe you know that both our companies successfully entered the second round of the bidding. See you then.” With a casual smile and bright eyes, she rolled up the window and drove away. Left behind, Beatriz stomped her feet in anger. “This is what you’ve forced me into, Vanessa!” With hatred in her eyes, she had originally just wanted to keep Vanessa away from Luca, perhaps letting her off the hook, but now it seemed this woman couldn’t be spared! ...HM Group’s President Office.“Is the recent news about VH your doing?” The short, plump man gl
Vanessa walked over, carrying the prepared dishes and waved her hand, saying, “It’s good that you’re awake; come and eat!” “Mommy, is there the braised beans I love the most tonight?” Vanessa lifted her onto the child seat and smiled, “Yes, yes, yes, you little eater!” At the dinner table, Mariah appeared somewhat reserved, making the mother and daughter both notice her demeanor. “Sister, my mommy told me to call you auntie, but I think you’re so pretty you shouldn’t be called that,” Isla said sweetly, offering Mariah a piece of braised bean. “Can I call you sister?” Mariah was taken aback and blushed at the sight of the braised bean. “Um, sure.” “Yay! Then what is your name?” “Mariah.” “Hello, Sister Mariah!” “Hello,” Mariah replied, returning the gesture by giving her a piece of braised bean and asking, “What’s your name?” Isla looked at Vanes
The Next Day.*Morning News*“Late last night, a car accident occurred on X Road. According to witnesses, the accident was caused by brake failure, and the injured driver is identified as Vanessa Saxon, the president of Cortex Group. A bystander who provided video footage reported that the driver fell into a coma and is currently undergoing emergency treatment in the hospital...”Luca was shocked. After confirming that the injured party was indeed Vanessa, he postponed the morning meeting just to visit her at the hospital. His assistant looked helplessly at the pile of work left behind and muttered, “If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have acted like this.”At the hospital, Luca inquired and found himself in the corridor outside the emergency room. The area was filled with cries and the chaotic sounds of families and doctors discussing cases, making it uncomfortable for him.At the end of the corridor, he saw a familiar figure and a brigh
At that moment, there was a senior executive and two employees in the office, creating a very awkward atmosphere.Beatriz felt a bit flustered but could only force a smile and say, “Grandpa asked me to tell you not to be late for tonight’s dinner.”“I’ll speak to Grandpa myself,” he replied.Beatriz stood in place, clearly uncomfortable. Luca’s words and expression were already a clear dismissal, yet she continued to smile at him, showing no intention of leaving.“Does Grandpa have any other messages for you to convey?”Beatriz shook her head. “No, just that Grandpa invited me to tonight’s dinner as well. I was wondering if you had a partner—”“I won’t be going home tonight.”“But Grandpa—”‘Slap!’Luca slammed the documents shut in anger and then turned to scold the employees. “It’s just a few pages, and there are four typos! Did you not graduate from elementary school?”The employees and the senior executive kne
Richard rushed back through the emergency exit, looking flustered and gripping his phone tightly, as if he were hiding a secret. Seeing him, the supervisor immediately yelled at him, “Richard! What gives you the right to slack off during work hours? Look at those interns with higher submission rates; they’re all diligently revising their drafts! What are you doing?! Huh? Useless!” Richard had always been the type of top student who excelled in design but struggled with communication. After stammering for a long time, he finally managed to say something useful, “Um... I have a headhunter interested in me.” The supervisor rolled his eyes, full of sarcasm. “A headhunter is looking for you? Then hurry up and leave!” “But... but I still have drafts to finish...” “Then why aren’t you hurrying to finish? What are you dreaming about?!” Feeling a bit wronged, Richard softly retorted, “I’m not dreaming...” &nb
At Ness Corp.“You just said Vanessa met with whom?!”Beatriz was still fretting over the theme for the second bidding. Despite having recruited so many outstanding graduates from prestigious universities, she always felt they fell short. Now, hearing about Vanessa’s meeting with Luca only added to her distress.“It’s President Kensington from K Group.”Bang!Beatriz angrily slammed her coffee cup onto the floor, her eyes filled with jealousy as she yelled, “I already know, no need for you to tell me!”The secretary trembled in fear, not daring to respond, and could only crouch down to clean up the broken pieces, accidentally cutting her hand in the process.“Hiss—”Seeing this, Beatriz’s mind flashed with Vanessa’s seemingly pitiful expression, intensifying her fury!“Stop prete
In the following days, Cortex Group successfully poached nearly ten people from K Group through headhunters. Although this posed no threat to K Group—after all, such incidents occurred every year or two, and the upper management had grown accustomed to it—Luca sensed something was off. “Look into it. Check if all the people who left really went to Cortex.” The assistant was momentarily stunned, asking in confusion, “President Kensington, what do you mean?” “Get me the investigation results as soon as possible, and arrange for me to meet with Cortex’s CEO.” He said this while looking out at the fiery clouds in the sky, a hint of warmth flickering in his eyes. He added, “Don’t mention my name.” “Understood. I’ll arrange it right away.” The study was dimly lit, a habit he had developed over the years, wanting to cherish each sunset, as if that was the only way to slightly melt the frost within his heart
The man’s eyes darted, his legs trembling as he stammered, “No... nobody. If you have the ability, take me to the police!”Not wanting to waste more time with this type of person, Luca knew it was quickest to send him to the police.“Call the police. Fulfill his request.” After saying that, he worried that Vanessa might be in danger, so he rushed to follow her, only to find that she had already vanished as soon as he stepped outside.In the underground parking lot.Beatriz suddenly appeared, blocking Vanessa’s path with an air of pride and arrogance. “You actually dare to come back?”Vanessa felt that Beatriz’s intelligence hadn’t changed at all in the five years since they last met. She kindly reminded her, “It’s only been a few days. Miss Langley, are you already missing me?”“Vanessa Saxon, what exactly are you back for?”“What for? Don’t you know?” She feigned an innocent smile, moving closer, and lightly whispered in her ear, “Of
In his office, Magnus had just picked up his coffee when a sharp, searing pain tore through his chest. His hand trembled, and with a loud crash, the cup slipped from his grasp, shattering on the floor. Coffee splattered onto his shoes."Sir are you alright?" Edric, the stern-faced assistant with cold eyes, quickly stepped forward, took out a tissue, crouched beside him, and meticulously wiped the coffee stain off his shoe."I'm fine. Step back." Magnus withdrew his foot, his sharp brows furrowing. Why did his chest suddenly ache? The unease clawed at his heart like a ferocious beast, making him restless. He paused for a moment before ordering, "Prepare the car. We're going to the prison district."Edric's eyes flickered as he hesitated. "Sir the last time you visited Miss Thorne, the Old Master was already displeased.""Enough nonsense. Hurry up!" Magnus’s chiseled face darkened, his tone commanding.Edric cast him a wary glance
Hearing the commotion, a nurse rushed in. When she saw Senna struggling violently, her wrists bloody, she immediately shouted, "Senna, calm down! If you keep this up, you'll have a miscarriage!"Senna froze. Her bloodshot eyes widened as she stared at the nurse. Her voice, hoarse like an old man at death’s door, trembled. "What... did you just say?""You were unconscious when you were admitted. The doctors discovered you’re already four weeks pregnant," the nurse said with sympathy. "Given your current situation, many would choose to terminate the pregnancy."Senna looked down at her still-flat stomach, unable to process the news.Astrid's eyes darkened as she clenched her fists. Then she sneered. "Senna, you really couldn’t stay lonely, huh? It’s been less than three months since you broke up with Magnus, and you’ve already gotten knocked up by another man. How shameless. When Magnus finds out, he’ll be so glad he left
No matter how much Senna denied the charges, she was ultimately convicted and sentenced to three years in prison.She shared a cell with seven other female inmates. The moment she stepped inside, she could feel the hostility thick in the air. As the cell door slammed shut behind her, a woman with a hideous scar on her face led the others toward her, their eyes filled with malice, their lips curling into sinister smirks.Senna gripped the washbasin in her hands tightly, her expression unshaken by fear. She stood tall, her spine straight, exuding defiance.“So, you’re Senna Thorne. Someone paid us to give you a warm welcome.” The scarred woman sneered before turning to the others. “Ladies, we’ve got ourselves a new toy. Don’t hold back—beat her!”Senna had braced herself for this before she even walked in, but she hadn’t expected Magnus’s hatred to run so deep. Sending her to prison wasn’t en
Senna sat in the detention cell, waiting for her sentencing. She had given up struggling—Magnus was convinced she was the murderer. There was no escape. Now, the only thing she cared about was Tobias. The door swung open, and a uniformed female officer called out, “Senna Thorne, someone’s here to see you.” Who would visit her at a time like this? She stood up hesitantly and followed the officer out. The moment she saw who it was, her heart clenched. Her voice trembled with urgency. “Nurse Zeta, what happened to my brother?” Nurse Zeta was the one taking care of her younger brother at the hospital. The solemn expression on her face made Senna’s anxiety spike. “Miss Thorne, your brother found out about your situation online. He’s devastated, and his condition has become unstable. He’s now experiencing complications. We had finally found a bone marrow donor, but for the past few days, we haven’t been able to reach them. Things aren’t looking good.” Senna f
The torrential rain poured down in sheets, and the raging thunder seemed determined to tear apart the pitch-black night sky.Magnus Voss stood by the window, his dark eyes as cold as if they had been submerged in ice water. His long fingers gripped a glass of blood-red wine, his knuckles turning white—silent evidence of the fury simmering inside him.“Sir, Mrs. Voss has been standing outside for three hours,” Edric, his cautious assistant, reported in a low voice from behind him.Through the storm, he watched her—frail and trembling yet still holding onto her stubborn pride. Without a word, he tilted his head back and drained his glass.With a sharp crash, the glass shattered against the floor. In the heavy silence that followed, the steady sound of his footsteps echoed.Senna tilted her head up, letting the freezing rain drench her pallid face. Her misty eyes blurred, indistinguishable between raindrops and tears.A
Three days later, the police finally announced the final verdict on Beatriz's case: death penalty.Both the public and Vanessa felt no surprise at the outcome. Even though Beatriz had hired the best lawyers, her crimes were beyond redemption, carrying multiple murder charges and various other offenses. There was no hope for her to turn things around.On the day of Beatriz’s sentencing, Vanessa and Luca did not attend the proceedings due to business commitments. Only William and Leonardo went, bringing with them Mariah’s hopes. Although Cassandra wanted to come as well, her schedule had already been set and could not be changed.When William and Leonardo later relayed the news to the others, it felt as though the frustration that had been lodged in their throats for days had finally dissipated.That evening, upon hearing the news, Luca stared at a photograph of Grandpa Kensington for a long time, murmuring softly.To comfort his grandfather's spirit, Luca decided to hold a solemn funera
As Isla warmed Luca’s hands, she looked at Vanessa with a serious expression and said, “Mommy, Daddy has been sitting outside for a long time, and his hands are freezing. Can we let him come in and warm up a bit?”Upon hearing this, Luca was so moved he almost cried. His little girl was truly a sweetheart, always so considerate at critical moments.Vanessa didn’t want to waste time with these two drama queens any longer and quickly stepped aside to let them in.They ended up staying like this for several days.News about Beatriz had spread wildly online; the entire business community was aware of her ruthlessness, marking her as someone without precedent.The police had already uncovered a series of murder cases connected to Beatriz, with the cases of Grandpa Kensington and Mariah being solidly linked to her. As for President Pako's incident, Beatriz was a
Standing at the door was Harvey.As he stepped inside, he saw Luca sitting on the sofa, and his expression instantly changed. “What are you doing here?”Luca frowned, wondering why Harvey had come at this hour. Without any courtesy, Harvey rushed in front of Luca and accused him, “How can you still have the face to show up in front of Vanessa? Have you forgotten how you treated her? You suspected her, hurt her, and neglected her. So, has all that been brushed aside?”“I…” Luca was at a loss for words. He had indeed wronged Vanessa in the past, and no matter how high Harvey stood on his moral pedestal to criticize him, he couldn’t find a way to refute it. “I’m sorry, Vanessa.”The man who had been aggressive just a moment ago now seemed as deflated as a punctured ball.“Let’s just calm down for a moment; you should go home,” Vanessa said, looking at Luca.&nbs
Seeing the evidence in her hands, Vanessa felt a surge of excitement. Then, as if realizing something, she looked at Luca with curiosity. “How did you know there was a hidden room here?”As Luca surveyed the hidden room, he replied, “Yesterday, I had someone crack Beatriz’s file password. There was a video inside that looked very much like your family’s house, including this hidden room. I found it strange, so I brought you here to look for clues. I didn’t expect to actually find something…”“Yeah… who would have thought we had a traitor in the family? My parents must have felt so heartbroken and tormented when they left,” Vanessa sighed.Seeing her reaction, Luca stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her in comfort. “It’s been so long since then; try not to think too much about it. You’ve done great by finding this evidence. It’s like avenging Uncle and Aunt.”“Yeah.” Vanessa murmured against him